Flow rate-independent electrical aerosol sensor

A new diffusion charging-based aerosol instrument design is presented, intended to be a starting point for a low-cost particle concentration sensor. The aim in the design is to minimize instrument response dependence on the sample flow rate. The operation principle, response functions of the components, and performance of a prototype instrument are reported. Based on the performance evaluation, the instrument response remained constant within +/- 15% over a wide sample flow rate range of 3 to 10 lpm. While in the design some sensitivity is sacrificed to minimize flow rate dependency, the detection limit is still sufficient for a practical sensor application. (c) 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research